By Amy Somensky Dec 9, 2004, 16:51 GMT
"I've long been under the impression that people didn't lend their names to awards until after they had died," he says in a statement. "I'm in pretty good health right now, and feeling all the better for having received this lovely and unexpected honor. It's gratifying to think that I can continue to be associated with theater excellence in the city where so many of my earliest theater impressions were formed."
The Kline Awards will be managed by the Professional Theatre Awards Council, a group organized by actor Steve Isom and director Jerry McAdams. Isom and McAdams hope that, over time, the Kline Awards will increase theater attendance, boost the number of theaters in this area, make people more aware of local theaters, increase financial support for theaters and bring St. Louis theater more attention outside of this area.
"Even though there has been significant growth in professional theater in St. Louis in recent years, we believe much more is possible, not only in the number of theaters in St. Louis but in the size of the audiences," says Isom, the council's executive director. "We want to get the word out to all of St. Louis that professional theater is thriving right here, in your neighborhood, down your street."
The council has set ground rules for productions to qualify for award consideration. To qualify, a production must be presented in the St. Louis area for at least six performances at the same location. It must be produced by a local theater or organization that compensates its artists on a regular basis. Productions will be judged in 14 categories by a panel of about 40 judges representing a cross section of the St. Louis theater community.
Source: St. Louis Today
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